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| Managing Self-Control, Bruxism and Caregivers |
| Monday, October 7, 2013 |
| 11:00 AM–12:20 PM |
| Gran Salon II (Presidente Intercontinental) |
| Area: CBM |
| Chair: Linda Ballard (Special People in the Northeast) |
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| Use of Caregiver Reinforcer Survey and Stimulus Preference Assessment During Rehabilitation with Minimally Conscious Youth |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ADRIANNA M. AMARI (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Valerie Paasch (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Keith J. Slifer (The Kennedy Krieger Institute/ Johns Hopkins Unive) |
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| Abstract: A minimally conscious state (MCS) is one of partial conscious awareness following brain injury; the severely restricted physical and verbal abilities and inconsistent behavior of those in MCS may confound assessment and rehabilitation. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is uniquely suited to addressing this challenge. In this study, data are presented for a series of youth in MCS who admitted to an inpatient unit for interdisciplinary neurorehabilitation. For each patient, a systematic assessment was conducted consisting of: (1) a guided caregiver survey adapted from the Reinforcer Assessment for Individuals with Severe Disabilities (RAISD; Fisher et al., 1996), (2) an unstructured staff survey to identify additional potentially salient stimuli and subtle/emerging response topographies, and (3) implementation of an in vivo stimulus preference assessment. Assessments identified stimuli across sensory domains associated with an increase in consistent and differentiated responding. Group data are presented on these stimuli as well as idiosyncratic response topographies. The clinical application of identified items to enhance rehabilitation (i.e., increase responsiveness during therapies, shape finger movement for switch use) will be discussed, and a case example provided. This study demonstrates the benefits of using ABA methods with this unique population. |
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| Beyond the Daily Grind: Towards an Evolutionary-Behavioral Approach to Bruxism |
| Domain: Theory |
| LINDA BALLARD (St. Joseph's University), Donald A. Hantula (Temple University) |
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| Abstract: Bruxism is a complex, multifactorial condition characterized by excessive clenching, grinding, or gritting of the teeth that often results in chronic headaches, damaged gum tissues, severe wear and cracked teeth. Traditionally, assessment and treatment have focused on morphological and psychosocial factors of bruxism (e.g., grinding due to malocculusion or stress), with a goal of eliminating these behaviors. This paper presents a behavioral-evolutionary approach to assessment and treatment of bruxism. A functional evolutionary analysis of bruxism suggests that certain adaptive components of bruxism exist, such as downregulation of the limbic system and autonomic nervous system, and reversal of biological markers. That is, bruxism-like activity, defined as the occurrence of bruxism occurring below a standardized threshold, can provide humans with an adaptive mechanism to reduce stress and should therefore not be eliminated entirely; rather, it should be managed in order to preserve its adaptive value. Implications for evolutionarily-informed behavioral interventions for bruxism are discussed. |
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| ABA and the Self Control of Excessive Caloric Intake Using an iPhone App |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| GARY W. LAVIGNA (Institute for Applied Behavior Analysis) |
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| Abstract: This paper describes an iPhone App (iABA - Weight Control) developed to help people achieve weight loss and life-long weight maintenance utilizing the principles and procedures of ABA. Some of the behavioral strategies incorporated into the App include self monitoring and data recording, visual feedback, rule governed behavior, stimulus control, prompting, successive approximations and, very importantly, response efficiency. The historical development of this App is described with its roots in Goldiamond's papers on self control. In addition, the utilization of these strategies using other Apps and other mobile phones is also described for those without iPhones, as is the application of these strategies in a group context. |
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